In 1940, the American Bantam Car Company of Butler, Pa., constructed 62 quarter-ton, four-wheel-drive trucks. This is one of the prototypes of the famous army vehicle known as the Jeep. The museum's Bantam, bearing serial number 1007, was number 7 of the 62. It was delivered to the Army on November 29, 1940, and transferred to the museum in 1944.

Physical Description

Artifact

Details

Date Made:

1940

Locations:

Pennsylvania

Credit:

Transferred from the War Department

History

During World War II, when the army was looking for a vehicle to replace the motorcycle as a mechanized form of transportation, it came up with what came to be known as the Jeep. Jeeps were produced in large numbers by Willys-Overland Motors, the Ford Motor Company, and the Bantam firm. According to one newspaper account, about 660,000 were made. Jeeps were incredibly important to the war effort and became for many a symbol of American ingenuity.